Builders & Doers

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Builders & Doers is where founders, operators, and investors get practical about building. Each episode unpacks one decision that mattered, the options on the table, and the evidence behind the choice. Clear lessons you can use to launch stronger, lead smarter, and stay ahead. A Horizon Search production. Get The Searchlight newsletter: https://www.thesearchlight.com/subscribe

  1. -3 ДН.

    AI Finance, 30K Users, and the Truth About Startup Exits - Alexander Harmsen | 46

    Alexander Harmsen joins me to break down how AI can improve financial outcomes without fully replacing humans, why personalization is where the real value is, and how he’s building in one of the hardest regulated categories.We also talk about founder resilience, product iteration, growth strategy, compliance as a moat, and why great businesses are bought, not sold.In this conversation, we cover:🟢 AI as a financial “second opinion” and personalization at scale🟢 Why most value from AI may come from experts in your pocket🟢 Building in regulated markets and working with regulators🟢 30,000 users, growth loops, partnerships, and media strategy🟢 Founder psychology, plateaus, and staying in the game🟢 Acquisition lessons from building and selling a prior companyIf you enjoy conversations on AI, entrepreneurship, fintech, and building durable companies, subscribe and share the episode.https://portfoliopilot.com/Timestamps:00:00 AI, personalization, and founder lessons (cold open)01:05 Intro and Alex Harmsen background01:14 From aerospace to personal finance03:23 Why he entered fintech after Iris Automation05:14 AI should enhance, not fully replace, financial decision-making06:32 Psychology, confidence, and why they do not target traders09:41 “Experts in your pocket” and personalization at scale10:22 Portfolio Pilot as a financial second opinion11:35 Consumer vs advisor go-to-market14:51 The WebMD analogy for finance16:39 Innovating without overstepping compliance19:46 Is there any area AI cannot touch24:33 How they got to 30,000 users29:45 Partnerships as the growth engine31:09 Why they are becoming a media company (diversification.com)32:00 Founder resilience and “the startup dies when you give up”34:01 Building a feedback machine and talking to users daily38:19 M&A lessons and “great businesses are bought, not sold”40:59 Partnership-first approach with potential acquirers46:43 How a drone can fly on Mars50:45 Mars navigation without GPS54:19 Early validation with landing pages and pricing signals56:38 Getting early paying customers and prepay57:12 “Hundreds of contracts” and integration lessons59:38 Next moonshot and robotics/fine motor control01:02:00 Real GDP, industry, and where software fits01:03:00 Where to follow Alex and try Portfolio Pilot The Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday.

    1 ч. 4 мин.

  2. 18 ФЕВР.

    Escape the Insta Fantasy - Greg Styan | 45

    In this conversation, Greg Styan breaks down why burnout is often disguised as hustle and how social comparison quietly drains your agency. We unpack the “insta fantasy” loop, how to step off the treadmill, and the practical systems Greg uses to build clarity and consistency without burning out. Discover 🟣 Burnout disguised as hustle, and the trap of social comparison 🟣 The “insta fantasy” loop of scrolling, wanting, and feeling behind 🟣 Journaling to connect the dots and reset your priorities 🟣 The Eisenhower Matrix and why urgent rarely equals important 🟣 Boundaries that protect family, hobbies, and real recovery 🟣 Two phones and notification rules that stop your day getting hijacked 🟣 Lifestyle levers that actually move the needle: caffeine, alcohol, sleep, anxiety 🟣 Why most coaches never build a sustainable business, and how to avoid the Coach Trap Connect with Greg https://www.coachtrap.co.uk/https://uk.linkedin.com/in/gregstyanhttps://www.instagram.com/thecoachtrap/https://open.spotify.com/show/1viztu12iLX7neu35oBT71https://open.spotify.com/show/2FOEFyn3s56akFDbdKkp0Dhttps://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-coach-trap-7261006277982482433 The Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday. Timestamps 0:00 Intro 1:05 Burnout disguised as hustle 1:38 Social comparison theory 2:15 The “insta fantasy” loop 3:35 The Eisenhower Matrix 11:24 Journaling and “joining up the dots” 12:26 Boundaries, hobbies, and identity beyond work 12:29 Two phones and protecting focus 19:37 Caffeine, matcha, alcohol, and anxiety 20:06 Screen time, meditation, and regaining calm 21:37 Notifications off, Do Not Disturb rules 23:03 Digital detox and taking a month off social media 26:03 Future of coaching and Neuralink 26:28 The Rod Stewart lesson 27:17 Thinking time and the Prince Charles story 30:03 Where to follow Greg

    31 мин.

  3. 18 ФЕВР.

    Money Buys Happiness. Become Time Rich, Not Busy - Lloyd James Ross | 44

    In this conversation, Lloyd James Ross (author of Money Buys Happiness and host of the Money Grows on Trees podcast) breaks down what money is actually for, and why being “time rich” is the real win. We talk about inner vs outer scorecards, the Focus Funnel, and the practical steps that create options, leverage, and breathing room. Discover 🟢 Why money amplifies what’s already there, and why more is not always better 🟢 Inner scorecard vs outer scorecard, and why status spending often replaces self-belief🟢 What “time rich” looks like in practice, including how to build more white space into your calendar 🟢 The laws of elimination, definite purpose, leverage, and priority 🟢 The Focus Funnel approach, eliminate, delegate, automate 🟢 How to escape the golden handcuffs with cash, leverage, and a side hustle before you quit 🟢 The story behind earning the ClickFunnels Two Comma Club Award, and what it validated 🟢 Why content is a million dollar business, and how AI is reshaping solo entrepreneurship Connect with Lloyd Instagram: @lloydjamesross Books: Money Buys Happiness, Money Grows on Trees The Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday https://thesearchlight.com/subscribe Timestamps 00:00 - Money Buys Happiness, the bold title and the pushback 04:04 - Money as an amplifier, and why more is not always better 06:22 - Inner scorecard vs outer scorecard and wealth signaling 10:45 - What “time rich” means in practice 13:00 - “The busy man has no time to make money” and the laws of time15:14 - The Focus Funnel, eliminate, delegate, automate 15:46 - Working in Abu Dhabi, culture, work ethic, and incentives 19:53 - The Four Hour Workweek moment that changed everything 21:31 - Themed days and building a calendar with more white than green 23:17 - Cash, leverage, and the golden handcuffs 24:46 - Side hustle first, then jump when it costs you to stay 25:39 - Two Comma Club, ClickFunnels, and building the funnel 30:52 - Three habits that reshape your finances and behavior 33:19 - Treating content like a business and scaling production 39:54 - AI, decentralization, and the return of the solopreneur 48:30 - Parting advice, ask who, not how

    49 мин.

  4. 2 ФЕВР.

    Moneyball Venture, Real Outcomes: A 90% Startup Survival Rate - Adam Coughlin | 43

    In this conversation, Adam Coughlin (Co-founder of York IE) breaks down why the “soft” stuff (storytelling, empathy, presence, and clear communication) is quickly becoming the hard advantage in company-building. We unpack how a journalism mindset helps founders translate complexity, why being present is the emerging superpower in the AI era, and York IE’s pragmatic model that pairs investing with an execution layer that takes real work off founders’ plates. Discover 🟣 Why modern communication fails, and the simple “get in their shoes” fix that makes it land 🟣 The 3 value levers behind almost every product or service: save time, reduce risk, make money 🟣 How to build culture across a global team, and why remote work debates are really about outcomes 🟣 Why founders burn out trying to do 10 things at once, and how to prioritize without regret 🟣 York IE’s operator-first approach: investing plus execution support that removes bottlenecks 🟣 The “singles, not grand slams” strategy for building optionality and manufacturing liquidity 🟣 What a 90% startup survival rate actually means, and the practical choices behind it Connect with Adam https://york.ie https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcoughlin/ The Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday. https://thesearchlight.com/subscribe Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:03 - Journalism to entrepreneurship, and the “storytelling” skill that transfers everywhere 02:28 - Intentional communication and why you lose control once you hit send 04:40 - Gatekeepers vs personal brands, and why the individual is the new institution 08:35 - Conviction, iteration, and making the best decision with imperfect data 09:33 - Building culture across a global team and remote work as outcomes, not process 13:14 - The 3 value levers and the fundamentals humans share across cultures 23:37 - Phones, AI, parenting, and “presence” as the differentiator 27:20 - What investors really bet on, people and markets 31:15 - York IE’s advisory model: taking execution off founders’ plates 32:23 - Singles vs home runs, and manufacturing liquidity 35:24 - Founding York IE, co-founder trust, and decision-making 37:35 - 90% survival rate and pragmatic fundraising strategy 40:23 - One book every founder should read 41:12 - Where to follow Adam

    42 мин.

  5. 1 ФЕВР.

    When to Split the Difference and When It’ll Kill the Deal - Derrick Chevalier | 42

    In this conversation, Derrick Chevalier (author of “Evolve or Be Slaughtered”) breaks down what “evolved negotiation” really means and why most popular rules break the moment reality gets messy. We unpack when splitting the difference is smart, why negotiating “issues” is a trap, and how to reframe price, cost, and value so you stop haggling numbers and start shaping outcomes. Along the way, Derrick shares real stories from the field, including how he negotiated a cabin purchase from $65K to $30K by shifting attention from price to liability and certainty. Discover 🟢 Why “never split the difference” is incomplete and how to decide when splitting works 🟢 The cook vs baker model and when strict rules create a negotiation “brick” 🟢 Why BATNA can be a false safety net when you do not know what’s on the other side’s sheet 🟢 The three-part lens that changes everything: price as numbers, cost as liability, value as benefit over liability 🟢 How to lower resistance without lowering price by surfacing hidden liabilities 🟢 How to flip power dynamics by making the other party want to guide you Connect with Derrick https://h-c.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrick-chevalier-6323272/ The Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday. https://thesearchlight.com/subscribe Timestamps 01:09 - Why rigid negotiation rules backfire 03:50 - Cook vs baker and when rules help or hurt 06:44 - BATNA and what’s missing from your plan 08:11 - Measuring outcomes by the data you did not have walking in 10:24 - The “tree” story and finding the real issue 13:55 - Cabin deal case study: from $65K to $30K 18:30 - Redefining price, cost, and value 23:06 - Becky’s sales story and ethical leverage 32:56 - “Evolve or Be Slaughtered” and the Van Gogh analogy 40:55 - SNUF framework and universal principles 46:47 - Coaching, value, and why most pricing conversations fail 58:26 - Where to follow Derrick

    1 ч.

  6. 26 ЯНВ.

    The “Switzerland Structure” for Exits - Nunzio Presta | 41

    In this conversation, Nunzio Presta (Founder of BuyAndSellABusiness.com, Rothwell Capital, and Pallet Connect) breaks down the micro-M&A world and the truth behind “entrepreneurship through acquisition”. We unpack why the sub-$5M enterprise value market is heating up, how to choose the right business using his “personal niche” framework, and the three pillars that make a small business genuinely sellable long before you ever think about exiting. Discover 🟢 Why the micro market (under $5M EV) is exploding and how average deal sizes shifted over time 🟢 The 3 tailwinds driving ETA right now: operators, immigrants/foreign investors, and baby boomer exits 🟢 The “personal niche” test for choosing a business you can actually run (passion, skillset, monetization) 🟢 The “Switzerland Structure” and why buyers pay a premium for self-sufficient operations Connect with Nunziohttps://rothwellcapital.com/https://palletconnect.com/X: @NunzioPresta The Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday.https://thesearchlight.com/subscribe Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:35 - The origin story of BuyAndSellABusiness.com 03:06 - Why the micro-M&A market was ignored 04:14 - The 3 tailwinds driving ETA right now 05:13 - What “micro market” means (under $5M EV) 06:05 - The “personal niche” framework for choosing the right business 06:35 - Village Wealth acquisition and why it made sense 08:12 - The biggest misconception about buying a business 11:10 - Finding upside “under the hood” 14:01 - Independent thinking and founder conviction 18:38 - What makes a small business truly sellable 19:44 - The 3 pillars of sellability 20:51 - The “Switzerland Structure” and removing single points of failure 23:30 - COVID story: saving a legacy pizzeria 37:46 - Pallet Connect: modernizing an overlooked industry 42:45 - Where to follow Nunzio #TheBDPodcast sition #BuyingaBusiness #MicroMAndSearchFund #MergersAndAcquisitions #ETA

    43 мин.

  7. 23 ЯНВ.

    The CFO Is the New Chief Data Officer - Salvatore Tirabassi | 40

    In this conversation, Salvatore Tirabassi (Managing Director of CFO Pro+Analytics) breaks down the modern CFO role as something far bigger than accounting. He explains why great finance leaders act as the “chief data officer” for the business, how to build a true single source of truth, and what happens when teams walk into meetings with dueling numbers. We also dig into real-world examples like inventory costing in QuickBooks, tariffs and margin distortion, investor due diligence, and how founders can avoid expensive mistakes by tightening their systems, reporting, and narrative early. Discover 🟢 Why the CFO is increasingly the head of data (and what “single source of truth” actually means) 🟢 How small finance setup decisions quietly create bad pricing, bad strategy, and chaos in fundraising Connect with Salvatore https://cfoproanalytics.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/stirabassi/ The Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday.https://thesearchlight.com/subscribe Timestamps 00:00 - The CFO as “Chief Data Officer” 01:15 - Why Sal started CFO Pro+Analytics 02:33 - Building a single source of truth through finance 07:48 - “The taxman shows up” and why founders get blindsided 09:18 - Pitfalls of scattered data across teams 09:39 - The CAC argument that happens in every company 12:04 - QuickBooks inventory traps and margin distortions 12:34 - Tariffs, average cost accounting, and bad pricing decisions 14:25 - A deal that tested him and what he learned 20:30 - Scaling a CFO services firm without losing quality 23:25 - Rory Sutherland’s “doorman” story and the power of intangibles 34:01 - What real due diligence looks like (and why it’s painful late) 36:01 - The “finance story” you must align on before fundraising 38:47 - The #1 finance mistake he’d fix everywhere 42:31 - Bringing global experience into executive finance work 49:53 - Execution intelligence vs pedigree 51:51 - Where to learn more (and tools/calculators on the site) #TheBDPodcast #CFO #Finance #StartupFinance #FractionalCFO #DataAnalytics

    54 мин.

  8. 23 ЯНВ.

    Uncovering the Threads of Humanity - Fredrik Haren | 39

    In this engaging conversation, Fredrik Haren, a creativity explorer, shares his insights from traveling to over 70 countries, including his experiences in Bhutan and the unique perspectives on creativity he encountered. He discusses the importance of curiosity, the common threads that unite humanity, and the role of technology and AI in shaping our future. Haren emphasizes the need for balance between inspiration and creation, and how understanding different cultures can enhance our creative processes. The discussion also touches on the evolving nature of identity in a globalized world and the challenges we face in addressing societal issues. Discover 🟣 There are more similarities between professions than geographical locations 🟣 Sweden's creative success stems from a blend of confidence and doubt Connect with Fredrik https://www.fredrikharen.com/ Pre-order on Amazon The World of Creativity: A Journey Across 37 Countries to Discover the Secrets of Creative Minds https://a.co/d/ahSaVqx The Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday. https://thesearchlight.com/subscribe Timestamps 00:00 - The Role of Mistakes in Creativity 02:02 - Cultural Connections and Human Similarities 05:07 - The Journey of a Creativity Explorer 07:53 - Reflections on Sweden and Global Mindset 11:01 - The Balance of Confidence and Humility in Creativity 14:03 - Sweden's Unique Approach to Creativity 17:33 - Viking Wisdom: Learning from Others 18:44 - The Myth of Creativity: A Personal Journey 21:36 - The Idea Book: Engaging with Creativity 22:39 - Curiosity: The Key to Creativity 27:31 - Ideas Island: A Haven for Creatives 32:59 - Global Identity: Beyond Borders 35:30 - AI and Creativity: A New Frontier 40:29 - The Balance of Comfort and Challenge 47:50 - Inspiration vs. Creation: Finding Balance #TheBDPodcast #humanconnection #culturalidentity

    52 мин.
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Builders & Doers is where founders, operators, and investors get practical about building. Each episode unpacks one decision that mattered, the options on the table, and the evidence behind the choice. Clear lessons you can use to launch stronger, lead smarter, and stay ahead. A Horizon Search production. Get The Searchlight newsletter: https://www.thesearchlight.com/subscribe

Информация

  • Автор
    Horizon Search
  • Годы выхода
    2025 - 2026
  • Выпуски
    46
  • Ограничения
    Без ненормативной лексики
  • Авторские права
    © Horizon Search
  • Сайт подкаста
    Builders & Doers